Maya Jacobs

Maya Jacobs currently works at Internews where she serves as the Deputy Chief of Party (deputy director) for a $42.25 million global internet freedom program that focuses on gender and marginalized groups and supports local civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders to better prevent and respond to digital repression.

Maya previously oversaw management and fundraising for the Southeast Asia portfolio at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Programs in the portfolio focused on media literacy, information integrity, youth civic engagement, LGBTQI+ inclusion, electoral operations and management, cyber security, anti-corruption, civil society resilience, disability inclusion and women’s political participation. She also led the development of the organization’s Do No Harm and Safeguarding policies and led an LGBTQI+ working group to carry out IFES’s approach to LGBTQI+ inclusion.

Prior to IFES, Maya developed and implemented programs for Freedom House’s Asia team that focused on fundamental freedoms and democracy. She has consulted at Banyan Tree Foundation and the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict and previously worked at ICF International.

Maya holds an MA in international affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a BA in environmental studies from Connecticut College. Maya resides in the greater Boston area.